


Hoping that you stay

by namaramac



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Beggars can't be choosers, F/F, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I saw the season three preview these two team up so I GOTTA, I'd include more disclaimers but you've seen the tag we both know it's sparse, Paper Star can't flirt like a normal person to save her life, anyways el topo is the mom of the group don't @ me, rated M for suggestive themes mostly but maybe some vague nsfw, title inspired by k flay because I love her
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:14:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26695114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namaramac/pseuds/namaramac
Summary: Her tone is teasing, lilting and winsome. Paper Star always had the gentlest, most infuriating voice, though that latter quality might just hinge on the things she said. Now was, of course, no exception, but when Sheena opened her eyes and prepared a comeback, she was stopped short.If Sheena didn’t know better, she would say that Paper Star was worried. Her expression was carefully kept, left completely blank, but her eyes were trained on Sheena, watching her like she was a building about to collapse. Frankly, she would have been disgusted at the display of pity if it hadn’t been so unexpected.orSheena is hurt and, for some reason, Paper Star cares. Things snowball from there.
Relationships: Paper Star/Tigress | Sheena
Comments: 6
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set after season 3. My first multichapter fic. Warnings for, like, blood and stuff.

When Sheena gets back to the new VILE headquarters, she’s already made the best use she can of the first aid kit in the helicopter. That isn’t to say the bulky mass of bandages and gauze on her side is anything short of abysmal but, given the wordless insistence of the cleaners to let her figure it out herself, she’s probably managed to achieve the best outcome of coupling her, of all people, with something meant to actually help someone.

The worst outcome, of course, would have been damaging herself further and, in between lamenting her current situation, she sits in awe at the mere fact she managed to avoid such a fate.

Granted, it’s still mostly her lamenting her fate. Vocally. And with language that manages to put off even the most hardened members of VILE. A talent of hers.

Maybe that’s why she doesn’t get a scolding, a worried glance, or a brief chat to express disappointment. No, instead she just gets wheeled away to the most caring member of her party, her very own, personal band of thieves, a fate that almost makes her wish she’d just been mind-wiped and kicked to the curb. El Topo’s cheeriness could make her gag with all it’s sickly-sweet, sentimental bullshit.

The look of concern on his face at seeing her alone is enough to drive her towards violence. Violence she’d happily express if it weren’t for the wound on her side.

“What happened? Who did this?”

His tone makes her want to scream, but she settles for a scowl.

“The fucking tooth fairy. Who do you think did it?”, she hisses.

Despite the harshness in her tone, he doesn’t react, doesn’t even wince, too occupied with undoing the mass of bandages covering her wound. Great, he feels bad for her. Pity, the last thing she wanted.

“Would Black Sheep really do something like this?”

Uncomfortable with the name, she shifts a bit, trying to ignore the resulting pain that shoots through her body. Black Sheep felt too familiar, brought back too many memories that she, regrettably, was fond of. Him calling Carmen Black Sheep was like him calling her Sheena, wrong.

Truth was, they weren’t the same people anymore. Why couldn’t he get that?

“ _ Carmen  _ would, and did… just not directly.” He raises an eyebrow and it takes everything in her not to reel back and hit him. “You try taking a tumble off of a speeding getaway car! Now, my skin’s been shredded to Hell and back trying to stop red riding hood from her latest vigilante bullshit, so are you gonna  _ help _ me or are you gonna sit on your ass and look dumb?”

The venom in her words seems to finally inspire enough fear to get El Topo moving overtime, removing the rest of the bandages and inspecting the injury. He winces when he sees it which, as painful as her wound actually is, is still dramatic in her opinion. That was El Topo for you, always too friendly, too caring, too kind. It was enough to make her retch but that could just be the bitterness talking.

As if bitterness wasn’t all she was made of.

She watches as he reaches for a disinfectant, very gently rubbing it on. If Sheena didn’t see the haste in his movements she would have resented him for being so cautious, for treating her like something fragile. No, he was just scared of it stinging too much, or maybe about moving the wrong way, of messing up somehow and further invoking her ire. It was, ultimately, what she preferred, to be feared rather than “loved”. She didn’t want to be cared for, or any of that bullshit, she could take care of herself.

Nevermind the fact that no one loved her anyways. As if that mattered.

He clears it out next, though she’d managed to get most of the gravel and bits of asphalt off of it beforehand. Still, there’s blood, maybe even more than there had been before, as dramatic as that is, and he clears it out best he can, applying some kind of bandage over the worst of it.

“You’re gonna need stitches in a few places. ”

His tone is wary, but she can’t be bothered to respond, so, after a few seconds spent waiting for words that don’t come, he turns, gathering what he needs. Why they assigned El Topo to do this, she isn’t sure, but maybe it’s easier this way, with someone who knows her enough to tread lightly. Maybe that’s why they sent him, she thinks, though she knows VILE doesn’t care about that kind of thing.

That’s probably the real reason they sent him, honestly. Because they don’t care. 

It’s a cynical thought, but that’s where her head’s at these days, where it’s been at for a while. Cynicism is a good look on her, she thinks, barely registering the slight pull on her skin from the needle and thread. Everything’s a good look on her, but cynicism? It’s real, it’s right. The world is a bitch, just like her, and they match.

The stitches don’t take long, and after that he bandages the rest of her wound up tightly. The bandaged area is still ridiculously large, but it’s definitely better than the unsightly mess she had applied herself. If Sheena was a better person, she'd probably feel grateful that El Topo didn’t even comment on that. But she’s not, of course, so she just watches him leave with mild disinterest.

Now that she was alone again, it was harder to ignore the pain, but she could live with it, only because she knew she had no other choice. Pulling out her communicator, VILE’s complex excuse for a phone, she busies herself with what little there is to do on it, scrolling through the feed of a Twitter account she’s probably not allowed to even have.

Her brief respite from the other grating operatives comes to an end the minute something sharp flies above her head and lodges itself into the wall there. Sheena turns and reaches her arm up, cursing under her breath at the white-hot pain that tears through her. Plucking the object from the wall, she looks at it and groans, slumping back where she’s sat.

A paper tiger, neatly folded, with edges sharp as knives. It was  _ her _ again.

“I thought cats always land on their feet.”

There’s a hint of amusement in her tone, as always, Sheena scowls, as always, and Paper Star ignores it, as always. She’s holding a little origami cat in one hand, and she meows when Sheena notices it.

“Fuck off.” She could come up with better, probably, but it doesn’t matter. Paper Star is the one person who never flinches at her threats, whether or not Sheena actually chooses to act on them.

No, she just laughs, skipping up to Sheena’s bed and humming that same creepy song she always does. The cat’s tucked away in her jacket somewhere, and it’s then Sheena realizes that she’s carrying something else.

“What’s that?”, she nods in the direction of her other hand and, laughing again, Paper Star holds up a stack of magazines.

No, not just any magazines.  _ Her _ magazines. But before Sheena can demand to have them back, she’s speaking.

“I passed by El Topo in the hall. He wanted to bring them to you but I practically demanded he let me do it instead.”

“And why would you do that?”

Paper Star hums, sitting on the edge of the bed and dropping the magazines onto the table next to it. She picks one off the top of the stack and opens it, flipping through it idly. It’s clear no answer is coming, but what bugs her more, for whatever reason, is how she knows Paper Star isn’t even reading them. She snatches the magazine out of her hands, scathing words on her tongue, but hisses when her body makes its protests known, reeling back and shutting her eyes tight.

Sheena was not meant to be damaged. The way she talked, the way she acted, cold and unfeeling, she should have been made of stone and ice, not flesh and bone. The idea that she could be torn apart as easily as she tore apart others was uncomfortable at best and rage-inducing at worst.

Both feelings that would be literally painful to experience right now.

“Careful~”

Her tone is teasing, lilting and winsome. Paper Star always had the gentlest, most infuriating voice, though that latter quality might just hinge on the things she said. Now was, of course, no exception, but when Sheena opened her eyes and prepared a comeback, she was stopped short.

If Sheena didn’t know better, she would say that Paper Star was worried. Her expression was carefully kept, left completely blank, but her eyes were trained on Sheena, watching her like she was a building about to collapse. Frankly, she would have been disgusted at the display of pity if it hadn’t been so unexpected.

“Why’d you come here?”

It wasn’t the same question as before, but it was within the same vein, though no longer spewed vitriol but genuine curiosity. Paper Star looked away.

“I wonder why we rarely get missions together?”

She was avoiding the question again, but Sheena let her. The answer could so easily delve into emotion territory, though, quite frankly, she wasn’t sure Paper Star could even feel emotions, other than her constant self-satisfaction.

Then again, Sheena wasn’t sure she could feel them, either, except for anger. Maybe they were similar in that regard, but the insight such a thought could offer was too much to sort through now, so she tucked it away.

“Did you forget last time?”

Paper Star just shrugs, still holding out for an answer. Really, Sheena doesn’t see how her reply is answer enough, the collaboration had been disastrous. The vague threats, the (somewhat embarrassing, in hindsight) lack of disguises, and the long, quiet boat ride back were all indicators of a poor partnership.

God, so many things went wrong that the ride back felt like it took  _ ages.  _ Sheena had just been waiting for the other to acknowledge how she just left her in a trash can, but it had never come. Even now, when she had an excuse to bring it up, Paper Star stayed quiet. And Sheena couldn’t fathom why.

But she wasn’t going to bring it up, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to ask, so she does the only thing she can and relents, giving a sigh.

“Because I’d claw your eyes out the second you got on my nerves, scene queen.”

That managed to get her to smile, an achievement that sparks some pride in Sheena, which, of course, she hates.  _ Why _ does she care again?

“Oh, but I’d never get on your nerves, would I?”

She leans forward, uncomfortably close now, and bats her lashes. It’s clear Paper Star is just messing with her again, but the action doesn’t spark anger this time, something that vexes Sheena.

Her response is a saccharine smile and a hand reaching up to Paper Star’s face.

“You’re doing it now.” She pushes her away roughly, and Paper Star just falls back onto the bed, laughing.

“But if we got another chance we could work so well together, you and I. Didn’t you know? I’m basically a prodigy.”

“The last prodigy we had betrayed us and started dressing like a stop sign.”

“She also did this to you.”

To prove her point, Paper Star pokes at the bandages and Sheena cries out at the pain, swatting her hand.

“Don’t touch that, you crazy bitch!”

Paper Star, like always, seems largely unconcerned with her harsh words, but her expression somehow changes. It’s clear she’s not having  _ fun _ anymore, whatever kick she got out of antagonizing Sheena is gone, so she gets up, off the bed and leaves. Sheena is ready to leave it at that, shift her attention to the stack of magazines, and try to forget everything that just happened, but the other stops by the door.

“Have fun bleeding, kitty.”

And she doesn’t mean to, doesn’t want to, but she looks up and watches her go, distinctly aware of the fact that, for the first time, Paper Star’s words send a chill up her spine.

So this is what dread feels like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the few of you who were here before, I figured it would be easier to edit it to fit after s3 so I did. It's just a little different now!  
> To those who are new, yes, it used to be different! How about that season, huh?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s wrong with having fun when people are bleeding?”
> 
> “Other than the fact that it makes you sound like a Hot Topic t-shirt? Usually it just applies to other people.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, warnings for blood.

Sheena manages to stay in the medical area for one night before she gets fed up and leaves for her own bed. El Topo, as much as he obviously wants to tell her to stay, doesn’t say anything. Back in her room and grateful that graduates sleep alone, she’s free to ditch the stupid hospital clothes she was given after her ripped gear was removed. She’s also free to pause and stare at herself in the mirror, not for vanity’s sake, but to gawk at the sheer size of her wound.

Fuck, she was gonna be out of commission for a while. So much for revenge.

Her injury makes it impossible to train, which basically negates her only stress reliever, violence, so instead she’s stuck watching some shitty b-grade movie and painting her nails. VILE headquarters doesn’t have much to offer by way of entertainment on a good day, but with the gashes in her side, her options are even more limited. El Topo comes by once to change her bandages, obviously worried, and she manages to manipulate his concern into getting her food from someplace close by so she can avoid eating whatever slop VILE is providing. After that, though, it’s just her, her movie, and the realization that being a professional thief, as satisfying as it is, has managed to throttle her social life. 

Of course, it’s only temporary. She’s seen the more professional operatives before, the kind of lives  _ they _ lead, but the idea that she’ll have that in the future is hardly helping her right now.

By day three, she’s going stir crazy. Desperate, she ignores the fact that walking feels like torture in her state and starts wandering the grounds. The new VILE headquarters is much smaller than the isle and has far less to offer, but anything, even the bitter cold, is better than more time alone in her shitty little room. She manages to find a relatively secluded spot, out of the way of any major paths and entirely devoid of people, and lets herself rest there for a while.

It’s peaceful, which would probably be considered pleasant by anyone other than her, but other than being someplace different, it’s not much better than her room. She busies herself with her phone again, or communicator, as Bellum would call it, plotting an imaginary heist of some jewel store she’s read about. It’s halfway entertaining, which is about as close to entertaining as she’s going to get, but the sound of footsteps snaps her out of it.

When she looks up, she sees Paper Star again, and she can’t help but roll her eyes. The other seems to just be watching her, which manages to be slightly unsettling.

“Creep.”

“Funny.” She takes a few steps forward. “You should be glad it’s me, I saw Mime Bomb stalking around earlier. Wonder what he wanted.”

It could easily be a lie, but Sheena is pretty sure Paper Star doesn’t care enough to lie about that. She takes a moment to think about who would be worse and, as much as she hates to admit it, Paper Star does seem like the better option. She may be a psychopath, but at least she talked.

“What’s the difference? You both dress like clowns.”

“Ouch. And I thought we got along so well last time, Kitty.”

The nickname reminds her of how Paper Star had left her that last time, and she shudders. No, no, Sheena didn’t feel fear. She didn’t feel at all, that was the point. At least, that’s what she told herself.

“Are you, like, obsessed with me or something?”

Paper Star laughs, which was  _ so _ not the answer Sheena wanted. Still, she seems to find the question hilarious, and all Sheena can do is sit and scowl as she continues to laugh, drawing closer. Bending down to look Sheena in the eye, she brings a finger up and boops her nose, entirely too comfortable with her. Of course, Sheena responds by snapping at the offending digit, but all she gets for her efforts is a delighted little hum from Paper Star and a pleased smile.

“You’re  _ hilarious, _ Kitty. What if I said yes, would that be so bad?”

“Only because I can’t hurt you.”

“Why not?”

“Why do you think?”

Sheena gestured to her wound and Paper Star gave it a brief glance before shrugging. She settles down in front of Sheena, sitting on her knees, and leans forward, holding a hand out, palm up. Sheena stares at it then back at her, unsure of what the gesture means.

“Well? What about now? Hurt me.”

“With what?”

“I’m sure you can get creative. You wanted to bite me earlier.”

“You want me to  _ bite  _ you?”

“Maybe.”

“Freak.”

“You’re cute.”

It’s so clearly a taunt, but the words are unexpected anyways. The shock just makes her angrier, so Sheena grabs the other’s hand, digging her nails into the skin as hard as she can. Claws or not, she made sure to keep them sharp, just to make it easier to do things like this, to hurt someone. Paper Star’s eyes widen but, to her credit, she doesn’t flinch or pull away until Sheena breaks skin. Afterwards, it feels like an overreaction, but some part of her still thinks it's justified.

“That what you wanted?”

“So angry all the time.”

Sheena huffs, crossing her arms. “You’re not much better.”

“Oh?”

“As if acting smug all the time is any improvement.”

“You think I’m acting?”

“I think you’re full of shit.”

“No, you think I’m a crazy bitch.” Her tone is accusatory and Sheena, despite herself, winces.

“So what if I do? Everyone thinks that.”

“I know.”

Sheena looks down at the little red crescents in Paper Star’s hand and sighs.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you do this kind of thing to Le Chèvre?”

Paper Star smiles, though it’s probably more to do with the memory than the gesture. So long as she’s happy, Sheena thinks, and then immediately reprimands herself for caring about her happiness in the first place.

“He cried so much after that.”

“Yeah? That’s not an achievement, he cries like a baby.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time, then.”

“Make sure to invite me, we can film it and laugh.”

Paper Star nods, eyes flicking back down to her hand. Sheena, now inexplicably feeling bad, takes it in her hands again, gently this time. Really, she doesn’t get it, because if someone else treated her like this, handling her like she’d break, she’d snap at them in an instant. But Paper Star seems to appreciate the gesture, drawing closer.

“You know, when you’re not threatening me or challenging me in a game of chicken, you don’t make for terrible company.”

There’s a moment where she thinks back before responding. “I never threatened you… except for that one time.”

“Yeah, not just that one time. Or did you  _ genuinely  _ want me to have fun bleeding?”

“What’s wrong with having fun when people are bleeding?”

“Other than the fact that it makes you sound like a Hot Topic t-shirt? Usually it just applies to other people.”

She shrugs, wiggling her hand out of Sheena’s grip and holding it up pointedly. “I’m having fun now.”

Sheena raises an eyebrow, unable to hide her smile. “Freak.”

Paper Star draws closer, moving so that she’s sitting next to Sheena, even being careful enough to make sure she’s on her uninjured side. It’s probably the most care Sheena has ever seen coming from Paper Star, and the fact that she’s the one to receive it makes her feel proud, like she should wear it as a badge of honor. “Paper Star cares about me.” It’s both an achievement and a threat, like managing to tame a pack of wolves.

Except more dangerous.

“What were you doing all alone anyways?”

“Trying not to think about the holes lady in red tore in my skin.”

“I’ll make sure to do the same to her next time I see her.”

“How kind of you.”

It’s meant to be sarcastic, but when she looks at Paper Star it’s clear that’s exactly what she saw the offer as, an act of kindness.

“You’ll have to say you’re sorry for calling me a clown, though.”

“I didn’t  _ call _ you a clown, I said you  _ dressed like  _ a clown, and I didn’t actually mean it.”

“That’s better, but it’s not a sorry.”

“Yeah, I don’t do apologies.”

“Guess you’ll have to get creative, then.”

Paper Star's eyes flick downwards as she says that and, oh so  _ that’s _ what this is. All these moments from their conversations suddenly make so much more sense now, but even then Sheena can’t help but laugh.

“God, is that  _ really _ how you flirt?”

Paper Star just pouts, which is actually kind of adorable, and Sheena shakes her head, still chuckling.

“Don’t give me that, there was a moment where I thought you wanted to hurt me.”

“Actually, you’re the one that hurt me.”

“Because you goaded me into it!”

“I told you to  _ bite _ me.”

“How is that different?”

“Well…”

She trails off, but it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. Sheena laughs again. Her and Paper Star. If you stripped away all the fake disdain on her end, along with the…  _ rocky  _ beginning, it wasn’t a bad idea. Psychopath or not, Paper Star wasn’t fragile, unlike every other operative on her level, and she had to respect that. Besides, as far as looks went, well, Sheena definitely hadn’t meant what she said earlier.

Besides, “Paper Star is in a relationship with me” was a much more impressive achievement than “Paper Star cares about me”.

“You really shouldn’t have waited until I was too injured to actually do much.”

Paper Star just shrugs again, seemingly unbothered by Sheena’s limited capabilities in this state. “I can wait a few days.”

“Is that how long you think it’ll take?”

“I know a lot about hurting people.”

“Freak.”

It’s the last thing Sheena says before threading her fingers through the hair on the back of Paper Star’s head, pulling her closer, and kissing her. It takes a moment for the other to register before she sinks into it, lets Sheena pull her in. She’s gentler than Sheena expected, but that just might be due to the wound in her side, to not knowing what will hurt her and what won’t.

Paper Star, Sheena imagines, is probably very inexperienced with trying _ not _ to hurt people.

She breaks the kiss soon enough, coming back up for air, and the dazed-but-pleased expression on Paper Star’s face is another achievement in and of itself. Sheena takes the time to look her up and down, to get used to seeing her like this, as someone she could touch and kiss. Well, mostly just kissing, the rest would come in a few days, if Paper Star was right about the time it’d take.

“How long was a few days again?”

Paper Star just smiles and kisses her and, yeah, Sheena could get used to this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Deep.” It’s a taunt, but Paper Star doesn’t seem to mind, humming from where she’s perched in Sheena’s lap.  
> It’s funny, really. They’ve only been together for a short while and Paper Star’s already sitting there like it’s where she belongs.  
> Sheena can’t even fault her because she agrees.

The days after that are still mostly spent in Sheena’s room. Paper Star, being the so-called prodigy that she is, hasn’t actually graduated yet, so said room is about the only place they can get any actual privacy.

Not that Sheena cares about keeping her relationship under wraps, but it’s hard to enjoy the company of her new girlfriend with a bunch of pasty newbies gawking at the two of them. Besides, as much of a mess as her room is after VILE’s less than elegant transition, it’s not nearly as much of a mess as, say, the one several large handfuls of disgruntled students were currently dealing with.

They kiss a lot. Maybe too much, really, but they’re still in the honeymoon phase, as much as Sheena hates that term, and it’s not like her room offers any better entertainment. True, they could theoretically leave headquarters, but the massive pain caused by her obvious wound was too suspicious and attention-grabbing to make that a real possibility. Roundabout’s capture took a toll on them, allegedly, and VILE’s masterminds agreed that they should be more careful with any public presence, as it was. Even if Sheena was a bit too low on the food chain to care, it was still more trouble than it was worth, so dates mostly consisted of hanging out, watching movies in her room, and kissing. El Topo interrupted them once to check on her and, with the two of them combined, the fear they inspired in him was enough to scar him for life.

It was also enough to send him running off to his boyfriend but even the less cautious, more sarcastic demeanor Le Chèvre adopted with Sheena vanished the second he saw Paper Star by her side. Another advantage, Sheena supposed.

According to Paper Star, it would take about three more days for her injury to stop hurting so badly, and several weeks for it to heal, so all they can do, really, is kiss. Not that that’s much of a problem because having Paper Star straddling her lap, lips on hers, moving like she _needs_ this is fucking poetic.

Especially when she pulls back, lipstick slightly smudged, entirely breathless. Sheena has never been especially patient but, seeing Paper Star like that, three days couldn’t pass by fast enough.

They do other things, of course. Talking, mostly, but it’s clear that neither one of them particularly excels at talk. Sure, Sheena does when it’s threats, manipulation, or insults, but anything past that and the cracks start showing.

Which is kinda pathetic, because some part of her feels like not knowing what questions to ask or how to answer them just proves she was raised shitty, but she’s a professional thief, that should _probably_ be proof enough.

Paper Star on the other hand… it’s different. She doesn’t know _how_ , but it is. And now that this is happening, she desperately wants to know. That’s the tricky part.

“Why paper?” she asks at one point, because it’s casual enough and all she can think to say.

“I like it. It’s colorful, easy to get a hold of.” She stops and Sheena thinks that’s the end of it, but then her answer goes deeper. “I like that I can hurt someone with something as flimsy as paper.”

“Deep.” It’s a taunt, but Paper Star doesn’t seem to mind, humming from where she’s perched in Sheena’s lap.

It’s funny, really. They’ve only been together for a short while and Paper Star’s already sitting there like it’s where she belongs.

Sheena can’t even fault her because she agrees.

“What about you, Kitten? Why the claws?” Paper Star’s voice is a purr and, judging by the smirk on her lips, she knows what she’s doing. But two can play at that game, so Sheena ducks her head down to nip at her neck. Hearing Paper Star’s breath hitch, she pulls back, satisfied with her work.

“Tease”, Sheena accuses, as if she hadn’t been the one to escalate things.

“You’re one to talk”, she responds, completely right.

Paper Star reaches down to grab one of Sheena’s hands, looking down at their intertwined fingers. “So, are you gonna answer?”

“Cat burglar.” She shrugs. Paper Star’s answer was hardly deep, but hers was even less so. Profound didn’t hurt people. Her claws, on the other hand, did a wonderful job, so, really, she could hardly feel bad for the simplicity.

Especially because her answer has Paper Star laughing.

“What? Too obvious?”

“I like it.”

“Good, I think it’s too late for me to change it.”

“Aww, are you saying you’d change it for me?”

“Definitely not, but I’d consider it.”

“Good enough.”

Sheena is ready to leave it there for now, but Paper Star seems to have a few more questions.

“That reminds me, should I call you Tigress? Or Sheena?”

It’s weird, hearing Paper Star say her actual name and, really, she’s not sure how she even knows it since they were never in the same class but, coming from Paper Star, it doesn’t feel so wrong.

It’s not like she was so far removed from the person she’d been before that her name wasn’t _hers_ anymore, it just felt more… private, maybe. Private like everything else from her past, including her tendency to self-sabotage when it came to other people, a fact she hoped would never rear its ugly little head again because a messy break with Paper Star would probably result in a bigger wound than the one that started the relationship.

All of this, of course, was entirely too much to voice in what was a pretty normal conversation, so Sheena settles for something else.

“I thought you already had a nickname for me.”

“I like variety.”

It’s a simple enough answer, but it puts the ball back in Sheena’s court, so-to-speak, and Sheena really doesn’t want to be the one to decide when both options feel like they come with baggage.

So she doesn’t.

“How about you just call me whatever feels right.”

As much thought as Sheena put into the answer she gave, Paper Star doesn’t seem to put any into receiving it. It was nice to see that one of them wasn’t overthinking things.

“So, should I keep calling you Paper Star? Or…” She trails off, waiting for the other to answer her implied question.

“Poppy”, Paper Star finishes for her.

She quirks an eyebrow. _“Really?”_

“Well, it’s not my name. Just a nickname I had before.” There’s a beat. “Speaking of nicknames, you still need to find one for me.”

“One that isn’t Poppy?” Paper Star’s response consists only of a pout, and Sheena relents, chuckling. “Yeah, alright. Though most of my nicknames are meant to be insults, babe.”

Like “freak”, though that had barely been much of an insult even before this new dynamic turned it into a term of endearment.

“Then just call me that.”

“What? You mean babe?”

“Sure.”

Sheena hums, leaning towards Paper Star, her expression a smile that shows she’s entirely too pleased with what she’s about to say.

“Hey babe~”

They don’t do much talking after that.


End file.
